Heaven's Guardian
by Shiori07
Summary: In her earliest memories, Thalia was always shunned, left to fend for herself. But then the Order found her, and she learned about a new existence. Now with a reason to live, she strives to become something great. (In some cases, a great pain.) But when she hears disturbing voices in her head and remembers her childhood, her revealed purpose may turn out to be too much to handle.
1. Chapter 1: Demon Child

**Chapter 1: Demon Child**

It was silent in the small clearing. The full moon shone overhead, illuminating the earth with a bright, yet gentle glow, almost as if it were daytime. Leaves littered the ground, covering it like a carpet. Tall bamboo stalks reached high into the night sky, swaying in the breeze. A gentle rustling sound came from them, completing this peaceful scene of nature.

Unfortunately, that peace did not last.

Small, uneven footsteps could be heard just beyond that clearing, until a child came into view. A girl. She was young, around the age of eight or nine, with raven black hair that fell to her shoulders. Her clothes hung on her frail frame, as if she hadn't seen a decent meal in a long while. Her most peculiar feature, were her eyes; the right one was a vibrant shade of blue while the left one was a deep red.

She stumbled into the clearing, not really seeing where she was going. Then, from exhaustion, she collapsed onto the hard earth, allowing the moonlight to emphasize the multiple wounds that covered her body.

The little girl laid there for quite a while, her breathing labored and uneven. She had curled into a self-defensive ball, as if she wanted to shield herself from something.

Suddenly, heavier footsteps could be heard nearby. The girl's head jerked up and her eyes widened in fear as she noticed them. Quickly, she tried to scoot so that she could take cover in the vegetation. A small whimper escaped her lips at the attempt as pain flared through her body and more blood spurted onto the floor.

The figure of a woman appeared through the bamboo. She looked ordinary at first glance, but after looking at her for a moment, the little girl noticed the geometric markings on her body and the large mitten-like appendages she had for hands.

"I thought I felt something . . ." The woman muttered to herself. Just then, she turned her head, her eyes widening as they fell upon the girl. "Hey, are you ok?" She asked, walking closer. The little girl's eyes seemed to bulge out of her head as she attempted to scoot away again. "Hey! Stop! What the hell are you doing? You're going to bleed out if you keep moving!"

"No! No, stay away from me!" The little girl whimpered. "I promise to leave the village! Just don't hurt me!"

"Easy, kid." The woman said in as soothing a voice as she could muster. "I won't hurt you. I want to help you."

"No. You're lying."

"You can believe that if you want, but I'm not." The girl didn't look convinced. "Now come on. Stop being ridiculous." The woman neared her.

"NO!" The girl screamed.

"Hey! Calm down you little shit!"

There was a slight altercation between them, though not much of one seeing as how the girl was injured, and the fight ended with the little girl cradled in the woman's arms. As she was being carried away, the little girl fought with what little strength she had left and beat her small fist against her captor.

"Stop that! Is this how you thank the person trying to save you?"

"But you're not! You just want to hurt me!"

"No one's gonna hurt you anymore, kid, and if they try, let's see them get passed _me _first." With that, she shifted the girl into one arm and freed up another. The girl stared at it as it morphed, turning into a long, curved blade. But her face wasn't full of fear this time, it was filled with awe.

With a smirk, the woman changed her blade back into a hand again and began to walk. It was quiet after that. But only for a brief moment until . . .

"Excuse me."

The woman looked down in surprise. "What?"

"Are you an alien?"

"What? No! What the hell kind of question is that?"

The girl seemed unfazed. "Well what are you?"

" . . . A guardian." She answered simply.

"Do you have a name?"

" . . . Fou."

The girl smiled. "Fou." She repeated softly before she passed out.

Fou just stared down at her, utterly perplexed. _Who is this kid?_

* * *

><p>It was dark at first, and the girl couldn't figure out why. She could feel that she was laying on something that was comfortably soft, and she felt a pleasant warmth surrounding her. Her brain felt sluggish, so it took her a while to finally open her eyes. As her vision swam into focus, she was greeted by the sight of what looked like a hospital room. It was small and clean, mostly white in color. With large eyes, she glanced around until her gaze fell upon Fou, who was sleeping in a chair beside her bed.<p>

The girl simply looked at her for a moment, not sure what to think. Then, she heard the creak of hinges and her head whipped in the direction the sound came from.

In came a man wearing a lab coat. He slowly walked up to the bed. "Hey there. My name is Ling. How are you feeling?"

The girl didn't answer. Instead she tried to scoot away. At the movement and the voice, Fou woke up and looked around bleary-eyed before she saw what was going on.

"Hey!" She said suddenly. The other people in the room looked at her sharply. "You" she said, pointing at the scientist, "back off. You're scaring her. And you," she turned to the girl, "calm down already. No one here is going to hurt you. And if they do, I'll kill 'em for you."

A sweat drop formed at the back of the scientist's head. He was hoping that that was a bluff, but knowing Fou, it probably wasn't. It got the job done though, because the girl visibly relaxed, if only slightly.

The scientist let out a sigh. "Now, can you tell me your name?"

"My name?"

The man nodded.

"I . . . don't have one."

Ling and Fou exchanged glances.

"But . . . there was that one time I had one." The other two looked at her again. "I was Thalia."

Ling smiled. "That's pretty. Thalia, when Fou found you, you were by yourself. Where are your parents? Can you tell us where they are? That way we can tell them that you're alright."

"Parents?"

"You know." Fou cut in. "Your mom and dad."

"Oh. I don't have those." Thalia said nonchalantly. Then she noticed the other two's expressions and ducked her head in shame. "Am I supposed to have them?"

"Do you have any family? A home?" Ling asked, instead of answering her. The girl just shook her head.

Just then, a nurse came in, peeking around the door with a smile. "Hello. Would you mind stepping out so that I can clean her wounds?"

Ling shook his head. "Of course not. Thalia, I'll be back to visit you, ok?" She gave him a small nod in answer before he left.

As the nurse began her work, Fou stood up from her chair causing Thalia's eyes to widen. "Relax, kid. I just need to talk to Ling about something. I'll be right back." Fou turned to leave, but just as she reached the door, she heard a small intake of breath from the nurse. The guardian glanced back, froze, then turned her head again, not sure that her eyes were telling her the truth.

The nurse had just started to pull back the bandages on Thalia's right arm to check for signs of infection. On that arm, a rather large burn covered her shoulder. But that's not what the most disturbing thing was. The burn had taken a shape: an open, inverted pentagram, the sign of an Akuma. A demon.

* * *

><p>"What the hell was that?" Fou half screamed at Ling in the hallway. "Did you know about that mark on her arm?"<p>

Ling looked afraid of her rage. "Yes, well, the nurse that bandaged it up the first time told me. That's one of the reasons why I came."

"But why is that on her? She's obviously not an Akuma! I would have known!"

"That's the thing. There have been rumors around the villages nearby of an 'Akuma child.' We thought it was just some superstition or a level two, but the rumors might just be referring to her." Fou looked like she was about to yell her head off at him for not answering her question so Ling continued in a hurry. "You noticed her eyes, right? She's a heterachromiac. Not many people know what that is and so, whenever someone like her is seen, they aren't accepted very warmly into society."

"And the burn?"

Ling was quiet for a minute. "I don't know. Someone must have branded her as a demon." Fou stared at him in contemplation. Then, she suddenly turned on her heel and stomped away. "Where are you going?"

"To talk with the chief! We can't just throw that girl back out there! It would be the same as shoving a knife between her ribs!"

"But you know we don't take in children!"

"I don't give a damn!"

* * *

><p>There was a knock at the door.<p>

"Come in!" Thalia said after a second.

The door opened with a creak. "Hello, Thalia." The same nurse who had treated her came in. "I brought lunch for you."

". . . Ok." The girl said distractedly as the nurse set the tray on her bedside table. "Hey, Riza-san, what does this say?" She asked, pointing at a piece of paper she was holding.

The nurse peered down at it. "The cat ate the mouse."

Thalia squinted at it. "Oh. Ok. Thank you."

"What are you doing with that paper?" Riza asked curiously.

" . . . I asked Ling-san to teach me how to read."

"Ah. I see." The nurse said with a laugh. Children usually didn't want to learn how to read in their spare time. "Well good luck and don't forget to eat before your food gets cold." Thalia hummed something that sounded like an agreement as the nurse left.

The raven-haired girl sat there for a while, squinting at the paper and moving her lips soundlessly, before the growling of her stomach interrupted. Thalia sighed and put her paper down. Then, she turned to her plate and scarfed down every last morsel.

She had been in the Asian Branch of the Black Order for a few weeks now, and already her malnourished frame was starting to fill out. Before, she hadn't really been used to seeing three square meals a day, so every time she was fed in her room, she ate it with gusto.

Once Thalia was done, she stilled for a second, as if to listen for something, before she sprang out of bed and rushed out the door. Usually she wasn't allowed out by herself, but the simple childish curiosity to explore had her sneaking out a few times.

Soon, the little girl was tiptoeing through the halls, glancing down hallways and inside caves. Every once in a while, she had to hide behind a pillar to avoid being seen, but she was greatly enjoying herself as she walked along. She was just turning a corner when a sharp voice caught her attention.

"Hey, kid!"

Thalia whirled around, both excited and frightened by that voice.

Fou was walking up to her from behind, looking angry. "What the hell are you doing out of your room again?"

". . . Exploring."

"Tch. Right. Well get back to your room, idiot. All this adventuring will just open your wounds again."

Thalia looked longingly at the corridor behind her. "But—."

"_Now!_"

"Y-yes ma'am." Thalia said in a hurry, before speeding past Fou and down the hallway. Fou watched her with narrowed eyes as she walked, a slight limp making her gait irregular. Then, Thalia paused halfway down the hall before turning on her heel to look a Fou, a guilty smile on her face.

"What now you little brat?"

". . . How do I get to my room again?"

"Ugh! You're so helpless! Fine, I'll take you back myself. Let's go." Fou growled as she sped past Thalia. The little girl jogged to keep up.

As they passed a pillar, Thalia pointed at it. "What are those markings on the walls for?" At first, Fou didn't answer. "Fou-san?"

Fou sighed. "They're gates."

"Gates?"

"They're _my _gates. They bind me to the Asian Branch so that I can protect it."

"Protect it?"

"Yeah. I told you I was a guardian deity, didn't I?"

"What do you guard us from?"

"Threats."

"Like what?"

"How many questions are you going to ask, kid?"

Thalia just looked at her, a smile on her face.

"Akuma."

". . . Like me?"

Fou gave her a sharp look. "No! They are souls brought back from the dead by the Millennium Earl. He uses people who have lost their loved ones to call the loved one from the grave. Then he makes the dead person kill the one who called them and wear their body as their own."

Thalia stared at Fou, eyes wide with fear. "'Are there a lot of those?"

Fou thought about it. "Yeah, but don't worry. There are exorcists chosen by God that use Innocence to kill Akuma."

It was quiet, and Fou was expecting another question any minute now. But then, the girl spoke in barely a whisper. "Exorcists sound really amazing . . . Fou-san? Do you think that I could ever be someone as important as them?" At this point, her hand absently went to touch her eyelid. "I might not be allowed to become an exorcist, but maybe I could be a scientist or something."

It was silent then, as Fou stared down at the girl, who had a small smile on her face. For some reason that ticked Fou off. Thalia opened her mouth to ask Fou why she was being silent.

"That's bullshit!" Fou said so loudly, it made Thalia jump. "What kind of lame-ass attitude is that? Who says you can't be an exorcist?"

Thalia blinked. "But—."

"I don't want to hear it you little shit! As of right now, you train with me every day and show those sons of bitches who tell you differently what for! Got that?"

"Uh. Yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

After that, Fou led Thalia down numerous tunnels until finally, they reached a large cavern. Thalia stared around at it in awe until something smacked against her chest. Surprised, she automatically caught the thing and realized it was a wooden sword. She glanced at Fou with uncertainty, but the guardian was already in a fighting stance.

"Come on. Show me what you got."

Thalia nodded and got into a stance of her own, one that was weak and blatantly obvious of her ineptitude. She charged forward, her weapon above her head, but didn't get very far. Fou easily knocked the sword from her hands and flipped her over. Thalia landed hard on her back, stunned. She barely had enough time to recover before Fou attempted to land another blow on her head. Thalia rolled to the side and scrambled up.

"I'm waiting." Fou taunted.

Thalia kept her gaze on her as she grabbed her sword from the ground. Then, she charged again. The girl had left a large opening, so all Fou had to do was kick her in the stomach and she froze before collapsing on the ground and dropping her sword.

The fight continued for several hours, Fou throwing blow after blow. Thalia, though having great reflexes for someone her age, was getting knocked down so many times, she would have lost count if Fou hadn't been yelling the number at her every time she fell.

Fou knew that she was being a little hard on the kid, even though she definitely wasn't going her full strength, but this was her teaching style. Her student would either have to endure it or quit. But that was the thing about Thalia, after so many times of being beaten, one would expect a child to give up or throw a tantrum. Except Thalia didn't. Every time she got knocked down and Fou asked if she wanted to continue, the little girl would stagger to her feet, dragging her training sword with her. The most remarkable part was the determined look on her face and the nod that Fou received each time.

Finally Fou had to force Thalia to stop after they had gone at it several hours into the night and the number of times Thalia had been knocked down reached the eight thousands.

"You're dead on your feet." Fou deadpanned.

Thalia shook her head, panting and using her sword as a crutch. "No . . . I want to . . . keep going."

"You can't even hold up your sword."

To try to prove that she could, Thalia held her weapon up, but the lack of support made her stagger forward and she had to put the sword tip into the ground again.

Fou gave an annoyed sigh before she resorted to going over to the girl and, without breaking a stride, knocked the sword out of the girl's hand and scooped her up in her arms.

Thalia gave a surprised scream before looking up at Fou in determination. "Fou-san! No! I want to keep going."

"Shut up, brat! I'm trying to help you!"

Just then, a loud grumbling sound came from Thalia's stomach. Fou looked down at her in surprise before the little girl suddenly went limp.

Fou shook her slightly. "Hey. You dead?"

No words were spoken until Thalia's stomach gave another loud rumble. "I'm hungry" was all she was able to moan.

The guardian just stared at her. "Is that why you're like this?" There was a lot of groaning in response. Fou let out a "tch" sound as she continued walking. "See? You're starving, moron. You can't continue to train on an empty stomach."

It sounded as if Thalia were indeed dying as Fou carried her through the Asian Branch and to the mess hall. There, she set Thalia down so she could order what she wanted. Afterwards, Fou wondered if she had made a mistake because Thalia had ordered about fifty different dishes to take to her table. All the guardian could do was stare, speechless as Thalia wolfed it all down.

"You're going to be sick." Fou muttered, but she was proved wrong as Thalia sat back with a content sigh.

"Ok. Let's get back now." Thalia said as she stood up from the table.

"Oh no you don't. You need rest."

"But—!" The little girl began to complain.

"Now." Fou said sternly. She glared at Thalia, but was surprised to see her yawn.

"Yeah ok."

It was absolutely silent between them as Fou led Thalia back to her room. Fou wasn't sure why she was training Thalia, she couldn't even promise that she would be an exorcist someday. But something about the little brat just made it really hard to leave her alone without worrying about her.

**Author's notes: Hey there! Thanks for reading this. It's been an idea for a really long time and all i needed was to think about details before i posted the first chapter. Well here it is! It is mainly an AU where i will be adding my own spin to a bunch of stuff, so the storyline will not exactly be the same to the anime/manga, but will be similar until a certain point. I will keep characters as close to canon as possible though. This will not be my main focus for a while because i promised to finish some other projects first, but i will try to update every so often. If you could leave a review, that would be great, and i will see you next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray-Man. If i did, the anime would still be airing T-T**


	2. Chapter 2: A New Home

**Chapter 2: A New Home**

Thalia was wandering the halls again, this time legally. She has been at the Asian Branch for a few months now, and had been given more freedom to do as she pleased. She had proven to be trustworthy after spending so much time with Fou, training and not causing any trouble. Well, at least none that anyone except a few knew about. This was mostly because Fou kept such a close watch on her 24/7. They trained every day, Thalia getting faster and stronger with each session. Even though she was practically beaten to a pulp every day, Thalia felt happy in the Order. Mostly everyone there was friendly to her and she knew the labyrinthine tunnels like the back of her hand. This was the closest thing to home she had ever had.

The girl was just rounding a corner when something rammed into her shoulder. Thalia lost her balance and, as a result, spun and fell to the ground in confusion. She looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of someone that looked to be about her age with long dark hair.

Thalia gaped. She had heard that there was another girl her age somewhere in the caves, but she had never seen her before. No one seemed willing to tell her about the other girl or where her room was.

Then, she heard more footsteps and turned her head to see a group of men rushing past her who she immediately recognized as the CROW, who were like security in the Black Order.

_Why are they chasing that girl?_

Thalia didn't know what was going on, but she knew that she had to do something. She got up and quickly turned around, planning on taking a different path to intercept them. If her thinking was correct, then she had an idea on where they were going. She sped through the tunnels, keeping an eye out for the girl and the CROW. Finally, she spotted the girl running towards her, looking very afraid.

Thalia glanced around her before noticing a closet. She wrenched it open, calling out to the other girl "Quick! In here!"

The other girl didn't hesitate before sprinting into the room, Thalia rushing in behind her and closing the door.

The two of them waited with bated breath as the kept their ears to the door. Soon, the thunderous sound of footsteps came and went, fading away into nothingness.

Thalia sighed in relieve. "They're gone." Then she turned to look at the girl. She looked tired and a little worn down. There was dirt on what looked like her hospital gown and her feet were bare and scratched up. "Hey, are you ok?" There was a nod. "Good. Don't worry, we should be safe in here for a while."

Things were silent for a while as the two looked at each other. But after a while, Thalia looked away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable at how the other girl was staring at her. It had been a while since she had seen it, but she recognized that look. It was the one people gave her when they were looking at her eyes.

"Who are you?"

Thalia looked back at the girl, though she was careful not to look her directly in the eye. "My name is Thalia. What's your name?"

". . . Lenalee." Was the girl's timid answer.

Thalia smiled. "That's a pretty name. It's nice to meet you, Lena."

Lenalee couldn't help but laugh a little. "No, no. My first name is 'Lenalee'."

"Oh. Then what's your last name?"

"Lee."

Thalia furrowed her eyebrows. "So your name is 'Lenalee Lee'?"

Lenalee nodded.

"Well that's kinda weird. It's pretty, but it's like I'm saying your last name three times. Do you mind if I call you 'Lena' anyway?"

Lenalee smiled. "No. I don't mind."

It looked like Lenalee was about to ask another question when, suddenly, the door was flung open and someone grabbed Lenalee by the arm, yanking her out of the closet.

"Hey!" Thalia yelled before she got up and pounced on the man that had grabbed Lenalee. "Leave her alone!" There was a loud yell and a curse as Thalia bit the man on the arm. Angry, he shoved her off and she fell to the floor.

She could hear Lenalee screaming as the man took her down the hall, and Thalia was just about to go after her when she felt someone grab her arm. She whirled, intending to hit the one who had touched her, but her wrist was caught by Fou, who had a grave look on her face.

"Fou-san?" Thalia asked. Then she became angry and thrashed in Fou's grip, trying to break free. "Let me go!"

Instead, Fou just began to drag her by the arm to her room, Thalia kicking and screaming the whole way. Finally, Fou threw Thalia onto her bed.

"What are you doing?" Thalia asked. "Why didn't you help her?"

"There's nothing we can do about it, Thalia. That's just the way it is."

Surprised by Fou's tone and the fact that she had used Thalia's real name and not something like 'brat' threw her off, and she calmed down.

"What do you mean? Why were they chasing her?"

Fou sighed, her hands on her hips, as Thalia sat down on her bed to show that she was ready to listen.

After a minute, Fou began to explain. "Remember when I told you about Innocence?" Thalia nodded. "Well that girl can use it."

Thalia's eyes widened. "She's an exorcist?"

"Not really. She's an accommodator, which means that she can use an anti-akuma weapon, but she isn't an exorcist yet. You have to be trained first."

". . . So is Lena here for training?"

"Not exactly." Fou said, sitting on the bed next to the girl and crossing her legs. "Lenalee's not exactly cooperating enough to be trained. So for now, they're studying her because of the Innocence she can use."

Thalia frowned. "But why is that so bad?"

"What?"

"Well, Lena looked scared when they were chasing her. Why would she be afraid?"

Fou was quiet for a minute. "There's something you should know, kid. Some people aren't lucky enough to choose whether or not they want to become an exorcist. That girl is no different. She was taken from her family when the Order learned that she could use Innocence. It must have been hard on her."

Thalia sat in silence at this information. Poor Lenalee. Thalia couldn't really relate, but she tried to imagine how she would feel if she were taken from the Asian Branch and felt a sudden ache in her chest.

Fou stood up, suddenly business-like. "Alright. So do you want to train today, or are you just going to sit there on your ass all day?"

"Yes. I mean—coming!" Thalia said as she rushed out of her room and down the corridor with Fou. Soon, they were in their usual positions, ready to strike. Thalia had gotten better since her first session, but she felt that she still had a long way to go.

"Yesterday was 6,952. Let's see if you can do better." Fou said before she leapt forward.

Thalia fought with a renewed purpose that day. In some way, she felt like she was fighting for Lenalee as well.

* * *

><p>Thalia looked around the infirmary. It looked pretty deserted to her, so she quietly walked inside toward one of the cabinets. She pulled open several different drawers, looking for something. She grew frustrated after a while and opened and closed the drawers a little too forcefully.<p>

"What are you looking for?"

Thalia whirled around, startled by the voice, to see Riza standing there with her arms crossed.

"Riza-san! Uh, I was just . . . inspecting."

When Riza didn't say anything, Thalia sighed and stood straight, her hands behind her back as she faced the nurse.

"I need to borrow an eye patch."

The nurse blinked. "Why do you need one?"

"I just need one."

"Hm." Riza frowned as she went over to a higher drawer that Thalia couldn't reach and pulled out a square eye patch that was white and had strings that tied behind her head. She had a feeling she knew why Thalia wanted the patch. It was just a shame that she felt like she had to hide.

"Thank you, Riza-san." Thalia said before leaving.

The girl walked through the tunnels until, finally, she reached a dark, deserted corridor. There weren't many doors there, and it was lit with a few torches here and there. Thalia walked until she came to stand in front of a door that was very close to the end of the hallway.

It had taken a while, but she had finally found Lenalee's room. She had had to sneak past Fou as well as the CROW that frequented this area. Not to mention that it had taken forever to find among the labyrinth known as the Asian Branch.

Thalia looked up at the door, psyching herself up. Then, she took the patch out of her pocket. She placed it on her red eye and reached behind her head to tie it. She grunted a few times in frustration, but eventually she tied it. It was probably a little lopsided, but at least she had done it.

Taking a key that she, uh, found, out of her other pocket, Thalia unlocked the door and slowly pushed it open. It was dark inside, the only light coming from a candle on a table. In the corner of the room, Thalia could just see Lenalee laying in a bed.

Thalia stepped inside and closed the door behind her before she went to stand beside the bed. It hurt her to see Lenalee lying there like that. Tears streaked her face as she stared blankly at the ceiling. What was even more shocking were the restraints she could now see that were holding Lenalee's wrists and ankles to the bed.

"Lenalee." Thalia breathed out in barely a whisper.

At the sound of Thalia's voice, Lenalee turned her head. "Thalia."

The raven-haired girl looked at Lenalee, assessing her physical condition. "Why are they tying you down?

". . . They don't trust me anymore. They know I'll try to run away."

"But you don't have to run away." Thalia said after she pulled up a stool and sat next to the bed. "I heard that you were taken from your family, but the Order can be a good home. It's my home."

Lenalee thought about it for a moment. "But I can't stay." She said this with so much certainty that it surprised Thalia.

She glanced at the restraints before looking back at Lenalee. "I'm going to take these off, ok? But you have to promise not to run away."

Lenalee gave a slow nod and Thalia went to work removing the straps of leather.

"What's wrong with your eye?"

Thalia halted for a second. "N-nothing."

"Then why are you wearing an eye patch?"

The raven lightly put a hand to the patch. "I don't like my eyes."

As she said this, Lenalee slipped out of her bonds. "Why? I think they're pretty."

Thalia was left speechless for a moment. "You . . . you like them?"

Lenalee smiled and gave a nod.

Thalia couldn't help but stare. No one ever told her that her eyes were _appealing _let alone _pretty_. Everyone would always take one look at her eyes and attack her. Well, there was one instance she could recall when someone else had called her eyes 'pretty'. But that was long ago.

"Come here." Lenalee demanded as she pat the space of bed in front of her. Reluctantly, Thalia complied and hoisted herself up. Then Lenalee untied to messy knot behind Thalia's head and removed the patch. Violet eyes looked into a pair of mismatched ones for a moment before Lenalee smiled. "There. That's better."

Thalia gave a small smile before she spoke. "Why do you try to run away so much? It's actually really great here."

The other girl looked down. "I miss my Onii-chan."

"Your brother?"

Lenalee nodded. "My parents are gone, so it was just me and Onii-chan when they took me away. He must be so lonely now."

"Well . . . if you do what they say, they'll probably let you go to see your brother someday."

"Really?" Lenalee asked, daring to hope.

Thalia nodded. "I'm sure of it! When I got here, they didn't let me leave my room by myself for a while, but know I can go wherever I want." Lenalee listened with rapt attention as she continued. "And don't worry, everyone here is really nice. It will feel just like home."

" . . . Ok. I'll give it a try."

"Yes!" Thalia cheered. "Just you wait, Lena! I'll show you everything!"

Just then the door swung open and in came Riza. She was carrying a tray of food and looked like she had just seen a ghost. She had found the door unlocked, so she was worried that something had happened. When she saw Lenalee on the bed, she felt instantly relieved. But then she noticed that she was untied and that Thalia was sitting there with her.

Riza clutched at her heart, as if she were about to have a heart attack. "What's going on here?"

Thalia smiled. "Nothing. Riza-san, this is my new friend Lenalee Lee. Lena, this is Riza-san. She's a nurse."

Lenalee gave a respectful bow of her head. "It's nice to meet you."

Riza looked from one girl to the other as she went over and placed the tray on the table. "I guess I don't need to stay to help Lenalee eat. I will see you girls later."

"Ok. Bye." Thalia said as she waved to the retreating nurse.

After that, the two of them talked for a really long time. In between, Thalia tried to get Lenalee to eat because she knew it was important for her to do so. After taking a few bites and then insisting that she couldn't eat anymore, Lenalee watched in utter amazement as Thalia ate the rest of it as if it would disappear within the next ten seconds if she didn't eat it.

The two of them sat there, talking well into the night, until finally, they fell asleep from exhaustion.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, the two of them woke up and Thalia led Lenalee to the cafeteria for breakfast.<p>

"Good morning, Thalia." The cook said with a fond smile. He had instantly taken a liking to her since she first ordered her large amount of food. "And who is this?"

"Morning, Kenji-san!" Thalia answered. "This is Lenalee. Lena, this is Kenji, the cook."

"It's nice to meet you." Lenalee responded.

"What can I get you girls this morning?"

Thalia then proceeded to order her usual several dozen dishes while Lenalee just ordered a simple Chinese breakfast. Just before they took their dishes to the table, Kenji called Thalia back.

"Yes?" Thalia asked, a little confused. In response, he handed her a small drawstring bag that fit into the palm of her hand. "What's this?"

There was a glint to the cook's eye. "Mints."

The raven laughed nervously. "Thanks. But what are they for?"

"I know that you sneak into the kitchen and take some every so often. You could just ask me for some you know."

Thalia smiled. "Thanks, Kenji-san." She said before hurrying after Lenalee.

"What's that?" Lenalee asked as her friend approached.

"Mints."

"Why did Kenji-san give you those?"

Thalia shrugged. "He knows that I like them."

"Oh" was all Lenalee could think to say as Thalia set her various trays on the table. "Are you really going to eat all that?"

The raven nodded before saying thanks for the food and digging in. Lenalee could only stare in amazement as she stayed true to her word, eating every last bite. She couldn't help but feel fascinated and slightly nauseous at the same time.

Thalia sat back with a satisfied sigh. "Are you ready to go yet?"

"Um. Almost." Lenalee said as she went back to her food. "Do you eat that much all the time?"

"Yep."

"That's . . . amazing."

Thalia furrowed her eyebrows. "Is it? I don't know. I've always eaten a lot, or tried to anyway."

Lenalee looked at Thalia's thin frame. "But how are you still skinny?" The other girl just shrugged and Lenalee went back to eating. When she was done, the two of them took their trays to be cleaned before going back out into the hallway.

"Where are we going?" Lenalee queried as Thalia led her along.

"To see a friend." Thalia grinned and that was all the explanation she offered.

Soon enough, they made it to a large cavern with a smooth wall in the back. Lenalee stared up at it in awe.

As soon as they reached it, a white light appeared around the markings on it and a figure appeared before them.

"You ready, kid?" Fou asked as she stepped out. Then her eyes widened as they fell upon Lenalee. "What the fuck is _she _doing here?"

"Fou-san, it's ok! She promised not to run anymore." Thalia assured her. "Lena, this is Fou-san. She's the guardian of the Asian Branch."

Lenalee bowed. "Hello."

Fou pursed her lips. "So that's what you were doing last night you little brat. Meddling in things that weren't any of your business." At this, she punched Thalia on the back of the head. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry." Thalia whined as she stood there, rubbing the back of her head.

"For this you get twice as many bruises as I gave you yesterday."

"Dammit!"

Lenalee looked between them, confused. "What?"

Thalia turned to her apologetically. "Sorry, Lena. I hope you don't mind watching me train for a little bit. After I'm done, we can go exploring some more ok?"

"If you can still walk." Fou mumbled.

Lenalee shook her head. "No, I don't mind. I'd love to watch you train." As she said this, she moved to the far side of the room and sat down on a rock to watch.

Fou threw Thalia her wooden sword and got into position. "Yesterday was 6,937. Don't you dare go above that number."

"Right." Thalia said determinedly.

With that, the fighting started.

"One!" Fou shouted as she threw Thalia across the room. She landed with an 'oof' onto the floor. Lenalee gasped, wondering if Thalia would be alright. But the raven stood up not long after and rushed at Fou with her sword. Fou sidestepped and grabbed the weapon. She yanked it out of Thalia's grasp and used it to hit Thalia over the head.

"Two!"

"Ow!" Thalia yelled and held her head as she laid on the ground. "Shit." From there, she kicked her leg out and hit Fou's ankle. The guardian barely flinched before she yanked Thalia up by the ankle.

"That actually twinged a bit, brat." Fou growled before she threw Thalia down with a loud yell of "Three!"

It when on like this for hours and all Lenalee could do was watch in utter exasperation. It looked like Thalia was having no luck whatsoever with this sparring match, but Lenalee couldn't help but feel admiration for the girl as well. No matter how many times she was knocked down, she always got back up, a fire in her eyes.

"8,221." Fou said to the carcass that was Thalia's body. "You went over."

Thalia sat up with a grunt and glared at her. "Well I think you went _overboard._"

"8,222!" Fou shouted as she kicked Thalia down by the shoulder, basically her equivalent of 'shut the hell up'.

"Damn it, Fou-san! I thought this was over!"

"Now it is." Fou said as she yawned and went back to the wall. "Go rest up. See you tomorrow."

Thalia laid back down with a groan and stared up at the ceiling. Not long after, a shadow fell over her, and she was looking up at the face of Lenalee.

"Are you ok?"

Thalia nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine if I just get something to eat. Don't worry, I'll still be able to show you around."

"It's ok if you don't today." Lenalee said as she sat down next to her. "Why do you train so hard anyway? Are you going somewhere?"

"Kinda." Thalia said as she sat up. "I'm training to become an exorcist."

"Exorcist?"

"Mm-hm. They are people chosen by God to fight evil."

"But don't you need Innocence to become an exorcist?" Lenalee asked, thinking about her anti-Akuma weapon.

"Yeah. But one day I'll get some and become someone amazing." Thalia said, believing it so much that Lenalee found herself believing it too. "You should feel lucky, Lena. You already have Innocence."

"Lucky?" Lenalee asked herself. Having that Innocence made her lucky? It had taken her away from her brother, her only family and then she was experimented on. If it truly _was _God that did this to her, why had He caused her so much suffering?

Thalia saw the look on Lenalee's face, so she quickly changed the subject. "Ok." She said, getting up. "What do you say we go eat dinner and then I'll show you around?"

"Ok." Lenalee answered as she took Thalia's outstretched hand, and together, they made their way out of the cavern.

**A/N: I had this ready too :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Escape

**Chapter 3: Escape**

_Thalia was running. Running as fast as she could through the dark wood. She could hear yelling, screams of hatred coming from the darkness behind her. A fear gripped her heart, so animalistic as it drove her through the trees with the sole desire to survive. Her breaths were coming out short and ragged. Her clothes were ripped and blood spurted from her body and onto the ground._

_ It hurt. It hurt so much._

_A fiery glow was growing behind her and Thalia pushed herself to keep running. For some reason, insignificant details were sticking into her mind; the number of pebbles she passed on the ground, the leaves drifting through the air, the bark of the trees she almost ran into, a small snake slithering across her path._

_ And then she tripped, falling over a tree root and sprawling onto the dirt path before her. She lay there, motionless. She tried so desperately to get up, but she couldn't move. She hurt too much._

_ Then, shadows appeared out of the darkness. Men, women, and children of all ages came toward her, all of them with expressions so full of hatred, it was as if Thalia were the Devil himself._

_ Thalia could feel herself crying. She knew, before they had even come, that it was over._

_ Then they were upon her._

* * *

><p>Thalia woke with a start, panting in the darkness. She felt like she would die of suffocation until she thrashed so much she flung the blanket off of her. She realized then that she was still in her room, safe in the Asian Branch and not out in the world fending for herself anymore.<p>

The girl laid there, staring at the ceiling and trying to calm herself down, until finally she couldn't take it anymore. She crawled out of bed, slipping on her shoes as she went, before going out into the corridor. She planned on going to Fou's chamber. She didn't care if it was the middle of the night, she just hoped that maybe Fou would let her train some more.

Thalia blinked, brought out of her thoughts by a flash of white among the darkness.

"Lena?" She asked aloud.

Lenalee slowly came into the light. "Hi, Thalia. What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep." Thalia answered in a suspicious tone. "What are _you _doing? Why do you look so guilty?"

Lenalee was silent, and it took Thalia a while to notice the small bag the Chinese girl was holding behind her back.

"You're leaving?"

Lenalee couldn't meet Thalia's eyes as she nodded. "I can't stay, Thalia. It's been four months since you told me to try and make a home here. I'm grateful, Thalia, I really am. But I need to find my Onii-chan."

". . . I understand."

Lenalee looked up in surprise.

"And I'll try to help you escape."

"You will?"

The raven nodded. "Yeah. You're my friend. Of course I'll help you."

Lenalee's face broke into a bright smile and she hugged Thalia. "Thank you."

Thalia smiled too and hugged her back. "No problem."

As they broke apart, Thalia's smile instantly turned into a frown. "Escaping won't be easy. The only way in or out is through Fou-san."

Lenalee sighed. "I know. I tried asking her to let me out once, but she just refused and the CROW found me."

The two stood there for a second, brainstorming on possible ways of escape.

Suddenly, an idea came to Thalia's mind. "Hey. There's an underground lake in one of the caves and a waterfall leads into it. Maybe you could crawl out through there."

The other girl shook her head. "I've thought of that, but it looks really hard to climb up to reach where the waterfall comes out of the wall."

Thalia grinned. "Don't worry about that! Come on, let's go before someone finds us." At this, she took Lenalee's hand and dragged her along as quickly and as quietly as possible. They wound their way through many tunnels and corridors, until finally they reached the cave Thalia had been talking about.

The sound of cascading water met their ears as they inched along the edges of the lake and toward the back of the cave where the deepest part of the water was. That was also where the waterfall ran endlessly to it.

"See? It's too dangerous to climb." Lenalee said as they reached the waterfall, Thalia eyeing it critically. She was right, the rocks were too sharp and slippery to climb safely.

But Thalia had a way of bypassing reason.

The raven just grinned and gripped the stone, pulling herself up. "Just put your hands and feet on the same places I put mine, ok, Lena?"

". . . Ok." Lenalee responded nervously as she did what she was told. This is how they made their way to the mouth of the waterfall. Lenalee almost slipped a few times, but Thalia was able to guide her safely to the top.

"See? What'd I tell you? Nothing to worry about." Thalia smirked as she pulled Lenalee up beside her.

"Great." Lenalee said in amazement. "But how did you know where to grab on?"

"What do you mean? It was easy. Now come on, let's see if there's a way out." Thalia said as she crawled down the narrow tunnel. Lenalee just furrowed her eyebrows as she followed her friend.

It got really dark as they crawled further and further into the depths of the rock, following the ridge that ran along the water, and Lenalee eventually had to suggest that they go back. But Thalia reasoned that it wasn't too dark just yet, and so they kept going. Lenalee was just starting to lose her patience when Thalia let out a loud yell.

"Shit!" She said, her voice echoing loudly and mingling with the sound of rushing water.

"What is it?" Lenalee asked, startled.

Thalia sighed in agitation. "There's a narrow opening where I guess the water flows from a lake or something. But's it's too small to crawl through."

"Can I see?" Lenalee asked. Thalia scooted aside. The Chinese girl got on her knees and peered up to look at the opening. Water cascaded through with a loud roaring sound, filling up the entire space and leaving no room for air or a little girl to crawl through.

"Come on, this was a dead end. We can go back and look for another way." Thalia said as she began to crawl back the way they had come.

". . . Alright." Lenalee said dejectedly as she followed.

The two of them crawled back in silence for the next few minutes. Lenalee a little put down that another escape attempt had been a failure, and Thalia a little irritated that her plan didn't work.

They had just gotten down from the waterfall and were making their way to the entrance of the cave when Thalia was the first to break the silence.

"So, I think next we should try—."

A flash of silver sped passed her and embedded itself into Lenalee's shoulder. Lenalee stood there, frozen for a second, before she collapsed. The flash of silver turned out to be something that resembled a needle with a tassel attached to it.

Thalia's eyes widened, immediately recognizing it as a tool of the CROW.

Suddenly the men appeared, some coming over and taking Lenalee by the arms.

"Hey!" Thalia yelled, immediately attempting to protect her friend, but some of the CROW grabbed her, holding her back. "Let me go you bastards!"

"Stay out of our way little girl." A man with a toothbrush mustache said as he walked up to her. She instantly recognized him a Malcolm Leverrier, an agent from Central. "Don't meddle in things that don't concern you."

"Lenalee hasn't done anything wrong! Just leave her alone! All she wants to do is get back to her brother!"

"I'm afraid that winning the war against the Millennium Earl is more important than this one girl's needs."

Thalia gaped. "But that isn't right! That isn't fair!" But Leverrier ignored her as he gave the order to take Lenalee away.

All Thalia could do was yell at them as they took her friend away, until finally, they struck her on the back of the head, and she lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>Thalia awoke to the familiar surroundings of her dark room, at first not remembering anything that had transpired the night before. But then, it all came rushing back and soon she was throwing back the covers, preparing to go look for Lenalee.<p>

"The brat's finally awake."

Thalia finally noticed the guardian deity that was leaning ever so casually against her door, effectively preventing her from leaving.

"Fou-san."

Fou looked livid. "Do you know how much trouble you're in? How much the higher-ups are pissed at you?"

Thalia was suddenly fuming as well. "I don't really care! Lena, needed my help!"

"But we discussed this already, didn't we? There's nothing we can do! This is just how things are! Now there's a chance that you could get kicked out of here! The chief is barely able to keep you here as it is, do you really want to get thrown out?"

"N-no, but . . . Lena's so alone. I just thought that maybe if I helped her, she wouldn't be so sad all the time."

Fou looked at her for a moment before giving a sigh. "Well, you _are_ a kid. Can't really blame you for trying." As she said this, Thalia crawled off of her bed and onto the floor, slipping on her shoes as she did so. "Uh, where are you going? Please don't tell me that you're going to do something else stupid."

The raven shook her head. "No. I promise I'm not. Can I just go please?"

Fou contemplated her before heaving a sigh. "Fine. But _nothing _stupid. Understand me?"

"Yes ma'am." Thalia assured her as Fou stepped aside and allowed her to pass through.

The girl determinedly made her way through the halls and to the familiar hallway that housed Lenalee's room. This time, CROW were standing guard at the door, and when they saw Thalia, they immediately went on the offensive.

"Hey! I'm not gonna do anything. Can I just . . . sit here?" She asked, pointing at a spot in front of the door. The two CROW glanced at each other skeptically. Then, when they decided that a child posed no threat, they allowed her to near the door.

"Lena?" Thalia called through the door. It was quiet, so she tried again. "Lenalee? You in there?" The silence in return sent a pang through Thalia's chest. She leaned against the door, and slowly slid down it and onto the floor.

"I'm sorry, Lenalee. I really am."

* * *

><p>For the next several weeks, Thalia didn't even see one hair from Lenalee's head. She was kept locked up in her room under guard when she wasn't being examined, and all Thalia could do to feel close to her was sit outside her door, trying to talk to her through the wood. But Lenalee never answered, and Thalia couldn't help but think of the state that she had found Lenalee in upon going into her room the first time: tied down and staring, unseeing, at the ceiling. Visualizing that sent a pang of guilt through Thalia's chest. She couldn't help but think that she had been the cause of Lenalee becoming like that again.<p>

After a while, many of the CROW were reassigned to other places in the Order, and the chief of the Asian Branch felt it safe to leave Thalia in charge of guarding Lenalee's door. Thalia had promised that she wouldn't do anything, just watch over Lenalee's room. Several barriers had been put in place anyway, so Thalia couldn't get in there herself, even if she tried.

Thalia now sat, slumped, in front of the door as she did everyday right after training with Fou.

"Hey, Lena. How are you today? I'm fine I guess. I only got knocked down 5,652 times. That's a lot better than it used to be, yeah?" Thalia said through the door. Lenalee never answered her, and this time was no different, but she figured that her friend would take comfort in someone talking to her.

"I still have a long way to go, though. Fou says that Exorcists only fall maybe ten times when fighting her. She hasn't fought that many, but she says that the majority of them are really skilled."

There was still no response, and Thalia absently took a peppermint from the pouch she kept tied on her belt, unwrapped it, and popped the candy into her mouth.

"And to think that you could be one of them too. Though, it's kinda hard for me to imagine you fighting anyone, Lena. You're too nice."

After a moment, Thalia sighed and continued to roll her mint around her mouth in silence.

Suddenly, she could hear footsteps coming down the hallway toward her. Thalia sprang up, expecting it to be Leverrier. She stood at the ready, eyes squinted and focused in the direction of the sound. She was surprised, however, when she didn't see Leverrier walking down the corridor, but someone that she had never seen before. He was a man, maybe in his twenties with glasses and long dark hair.

As the man neared, he blinked in surprise down at the little girl standing protectively in front of the door. "Um, hello there."

Thalia wasted no time being friendly. "Who are you and what are you doing here? I've never seen you before."

"I'm Komui. I've just arrived here and I need to get into that room."

"Why? What do you want with Lena?"

"Lena?" Komui asked. Then, he smiled and knelt in front of Thalia. "I am Lenalee's brother. I came here to see her. Could you please let me in?" Thalia just stared at him in surprise for a moment. "I'm sure that she would really want to see me."

Thalia thought about it, then, when she deemed that he could be trusted, she moved aside.

"Thank you." Komui said, ruffling her hair as he stood up. Then he went over to the door and pulled it open. Thalia peeked inside as he walked in and toward the bed in the corner. He sat on the stool that was there, and gently grabbed hold of Lenalee's hand.

"Lenalee? It's me. You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'm here now."

There was a short silence before, ever so softly, Thalia could her Lenalee whisper in a soft, scratchy voice.

"Onii-chan?"

A small smile on her face, Thalia exited the room, quietly shutting the door behind her on her way out.

* * *

><p>"5,412!" Fou shouted as she hit Thalia with a roundhouse kick, knocking her into a wall.<p>

Komui just stared in amazement at this battle scene before him. "What's going on here?" He asked his little sister as she dragged him along to sit on some rocks.

Lenalee gave Komui a bright smile. "Don't worry about Thalia. She'll be fine. She trains here with Fou-san every day."

"Every day?" Komui asked, stunned as Fou sent Thalia into the air with a shout of '5,413' before she landed with a loud crash into the ground. "For how long?"

Lenalee put a hand to her chin in thought just as Thalia rushed Fou again. "Um . . . Twelve hours a day for almost the past year?"

Suddenly there was a loud curse of "Dammit!" from Thalia.

All Lenalee and Komui could do was watch as the little girl charged and then was sent tumbling through the air.

_A child that young training so hard? _Komui thought to himself. _One could only imagine _why_ or _how_ for that matter. _Then a thought struck him.

"Thalia doesn't want to be an Exorcist by any chance, does she, Lenalee?"

His sister nodded. "Mm-hm. She does, that's what she told me."

A sad feeling swept over Komui at that moment. Thalia aspired to become an Exorcist? If only she knew of the sadness that came with that certain occupation.

The two of them watched for about another ten minutes before Fou finally called it a day at 5,546. As Fou disappeared into the wall, Thalia turned toward the entrance of the cavern with a sigh, ready to eat a large dinner and go to bed. That was when she saw Lenalee and Komui watching her from across the room. She stared at them for a moment, not sure whether she should bolt or go over and talk to them. She was just considering running away when Lenalee suddenly gave her a very energetic wave. Feeling a little more confident, Thalia headed over.

"Lenalee." Thalia said as she came up to them.

Lenalee smiled. "Hi. It's been a while. Thalia, I would like to introduce you to my Onii-chan, Komui."

Komui held his hand out in a greeting. "Hello, Thalia. Lenalee's told me a lot about you. It's great to officially meet you."

Thalia cautiously took his hand and they shook. "Uh, nice to meet you, Komui-san."

"So. I see that you were telling the truth when you said that you were getting better in your training." Lenalee said cheerily.

The raven's eyes widened. "You heard me?"

The other girl nodded. "Yep. I'm sorry I never answered you though."

"No, no, that's ok!" Thalia said quickly. "But . . . I thought that you wouldn't want to talk to me anymore because I ruined your chance to find your brother.

Lenalee shook her head. "Don't worry. I'm not upset with you. You tried to help me and that's all that matters. And besides, my brother is here now, so it doesn't really matter."

"That's also something I wanted to talk about." Komui said. "I wanted to thank you, Thalia, for watching Lenalee for me when I couldn't. I owe you, and if you ever need anything just ask, alright?"

Thalia blinked in surprise. "Uh, ok." Suddenly, Thalia's stomach rumbled loudly. She gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry."

"That's alright." Komui said. "Who wouldn't be hungry after training so hard?" Then, he stood up, smiling at the two of them. "Why don't we go get something to eat?"

"Yes, please!" Thalia said excitedly.

* * *

><p>For the next several days, Thalia spent a lot of time around Lenalee and Komui. It was a different experience from what she was used to, but she liked it all the same. Lenalee was always insistent that they spent time together, no matter what they were doing. She would drag Thalia and Komui to eat meals together, watch Thalia during her training, and follow Komui wherever he went. Thalia was happy for her. Lenalee looked the happiest she had ever been now that her brother was around. Komui was the same. He always smiled the most when his sister was with him. If Thalia didn't know any better, she would think that the time she was spending with the two of them was just like spending time with a real family. Well, she didn't really have anything to compare it to, so she did think that way. And she was happy with it.<p>

Unfortunately though, this wouldn't last forever. In order for Komui to be able to see Lenalee again, he had had to join the Black Order. But he had been assigned to the European Branch, and so he couldn't stay in Asia much longer.

The day had finally come a week after Komui had arrived. He was standing near the entrance, his bag on the ground next to him and two young girls standing in front of him. Komui was kneeling down, smiling at them.

"Don't worry, Lenalee. We'll see each other again."

Lenalee looked up at him, tears brimming her eyes. "Promise?"

"Promise." He said, holding his sister in a tight embrace. Then he turned toward Thalia. "Watch over my sister for me will you, Thalia?"

The raven gave him a salute. "Yes sir."

Komui smiled. "Thank you." He said as he ruffled her hair. Then, he stood up, his expression becoming a little melancholy. "Time for me to leave now." He said. "Fou-san, if you would?"

"Sure." A voice said from the wall that began to glow. "Everything's ready anyway. The Finders are outside waiting for you."

"Thank you." He said again as he picked up his bag. He turned toward Thalia and Lenalee one last time. "I'll see you girls soon, alright?" The two of them nodded, Lenalee waving slowly, as Komui gave another wave in farewell and walked through the gate.

Thalia stared at the place he had disappeared before she heard sniffling from the place beside her. She turned and saw Lenalee looking at the ground.

"Don't worry, Lena. You'll see him again."

The Chinese girl smiled. "Yeah. You're right." It was quiet between them for a moment while Lenalee stood there, as if contemplating something. "Hey, Thalia. Do you think I could join you while you're training sometimes?"

The raven blinked in surprised. "Um. Sure. But why do you suddenly want to start training?"

Lenalee thought over her reasoning for a minute. ". . . Because I want to become an Exorcist."

"Really?" Thalia asked.

The other girl nodded. "I think that if I become an Exorcist, I'll be able to see my brother."

The raven put a hand to her chin. "I think you're right. When you're an Exorcist, you get missions and travel to different places all over the world." Suddenly a bright smile appeared on her face. "Ok then. Let's get started." She said before rushing over to where the wooden swords were kept and grabbing two of them. She kept one for herself and gave one to Lenalee.

"Ok, first, you need a good stance. Have your feet shoulder-width apart and your weapon held in front of you."

Lenalee did as she was told. "Like this?"

Thalia eyed her. "Kinda. Your stance is right, but you're holding you sword the wrong way. Do it like this." She said, going over to Lenalee and positioning her hands on the handle.

"Oh, ok. Now what."

For the rest of the day, Thalia instructed Lenalee in the ways of combat. Lenalee was still sad that her brother had left, but she was glad that Thalia was there. She was a good friend and fun to hang out with. After a while, Lenalee realized something else; Thalia had kept her promise of helping Lenalee escape, just not in the way that they had planned. Thalia hadn't helped her escape the Black Order. Instead, Thalia had helped her escape something else, something that was just as important to get away from: her loneliness.

**A/N: Hello again! Now i know that Komui doesn't have his sister-complex right now, but don't worry, he will eventually. i just figured that when he and Lenalee first reunite he hasn't developed it yet. Well, review an****d all that stuff. See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4: Odd Occurances

**Chapter 4: Odd Occurances**

"Come on, Lenalee, hurry!" Thalia said excitedly as she tugged on her friend's hand.

"Ok. I'm coming." Lenalee said with a laugh, doing her best not to trip.

Thalia was so excited that she could barely contain herself. A new Exorcist had arrived in the Asian Branch that was about the same age as she and Lenalee were. _Finally_ they could meet someone else who could actually use Innocence. On top of that, she and Lenalee had a chance to see someone else their age. It was fun running around the Asian Branch, but everyone they knew was older than them.

Thalia almost made Lenalee topple over as they ran into cafeteria. "Do you see them?" She asked excitedly, looking out over the tables on her tiptoes.

Lenalee looked around too, trying to find anyone different. "There!" She said, pointing to a table in the back corner. Sitting there, alone, was a young boy with long, dark hair.

"Let's go!" Thalia said, grabbing Lenalee's hand again. She dragged her all the way across the room and toward this new Exorcist.

"Hello there!" Lenalee said cheerily as they reached the table. Thalia stood slightly behind her, nervously looking around her friend's shoulder. She didn't want to show her eyes, but her curiosity kept her from leaving altogether.

The boy didn't seem to hear them, so Lenalee anxiously cleared her throat. "Um, would you mind if we sat here with you?"

There was no response, so Lenalee and Thalia shrugged at each other before taking seats together on the empty side of the table. It was quiet for a few moments as the girls watched this stranger eat soba noodles with a pair of chopsticks. Then, he glanced up at them. Dark eyes flitted toward Lenalee first before they finally rested on Thalia. The raven's insides squirmed as she felt like she was being analyzed, but she was determined not to show any lack of nerve, so she stared back. Their eyes met for a second longer than it had taken the stranger to look at Lenalee, and Thalia half expected the Exorcist to say something about her eyes, but in the end, he just made a 'tch' sound and went back to eating.

Lenalee spoke again. "My name's Lenalee and this is Thalia. What's yours?" The Exorcist didn't say anything.

Thalia was getting a little annoyed by his lack of words, so she spoke up. "Come on, pretty boy, just tell us your name."

Suddenly there was a sword at her throat and an angry boy standing on the table in front of her. "What did you just call me?"

Thalia blinked in surprise before a mischievous grin spread across her face. "'Pretty boy.' Earlier, I was a little confused about whether you were a girl or a boy so I think that name fits, and it's what I'll keep calling you if you don't tell us your name."

"Are you asking for a fight, brat?"

"Brat?! It looks to me like we're about the same age!"

The samurai looked at her for a moment, as if seriously contemplating murder, before finally giving an annoyed 'tch', sheathing his sword, and leaving the table.

"Thalia, you made him upset." Lenalee scolded.

"Hmph. Well he deserved it for calling me a brat."

The other girl sighed. "We should go look for him and apologize."

Thalia got up from the table. "We can go look, but I'm not planning on apologizing." Just as they were about to leave, a loud rumbling sound came from the raven's stomach. Immediately, she turned around and went back into the mess hall. "Right after we eat breakfast."

* * *

><p>"Hm. Where could pretty boy be?" Thalia wondered.<p>

The two of them were now walking along the corridors in search of the samurai, Thalia walking alongside an exasperated Lenalee. The smell of peppermint was in the air around them as Thalia sucked on a mint.

Lenalee sighed. "I have a feeling that you shouldn't be coming with me."

"Oh, come on, Lena, this is fun. We're adventuring while looking for people to mess with at the same time."

". . . That's my point."

Just then, they were passing the large cavern where Thalia and Lenalee usually did their Exorcist training. As they talked, Thalia noticed a certain long-haired samurai. He was sitting with his legs folded and his eyes closed.

"There he is." Thalia said to her friend. "What's he doing?"

Lenalee looked in the same direction. "I don't know. We should go ask." They had started to walk when a thought struck Lenalee and she had to stop. "Thalia, stay here and let me do the talking, ok?"

The girl pouted, but she complied as Lenalee walked over to where the boy was sitting.

"Hello again." She said with a smile. But when she didn't get an answer, she continued to speak. "So, what are you doing?"

No response.

"Uh, hello?"

Finally the swordsman opened one eye to glare at her. When he saw her smiling and showing no signs of leaving, he closed his eye again and spoke. "Meditation."

"Oh." Lenalee said. She watched him for a second before having a sudden idea. "Can you teach me how to do it?"

"No."

"Please?"

". . . Fine. If only you will leave me alone. Sit like this."

With a smile, Lenalee did as she was told and sat down.

From her place by the entrance, Thalia blinked. "Lena, what are you doing?" She whispered to herself. She stood there, watching as the two sat there together for what felt like hours but was only minutes, until finally she lost her patience. Thalia walked over to them, and came to stand there, staring. They both looked peacefully calm, but what was the point of this?

Thalia sat, cross-legged on the floor in front of them and studied the way they were sitting. She mimicked them and then closed her eyes. After a few seconds, her nose felt itchy, so she scratched it. After a few more seconds she felt uncomfortable, so she shifted her position on the floor slightly. It didn't take long before restlessness overtook her. She ended up flopping onto her back and staring up at the ceiling with a groan.

"Ugh! This is so boring!"

When she only got a small 'sh' in response from Lenalee, Thalia sat up again and crawled over to the Exorcist. She stared at him really closely for a minute, her nose almost touching his, before finally grabbing his sword off of the ground and examining it.

Without opening an eyelid, the boy spoke. "Give Mugen back to me."

"So this is your Innocence. Mugen, huh?"

The samurai opened his eyes, obviously annoyed. "Yes. Now give it back."

Thalia pursed her lips in thought. "Hm. No. I don't think so."

The boy stood up. "Give it back now, you little brat."

The raven waved her finger disapprovingly. "[Tut, tut, tut] Now I really won't give it back."

"Give it to me or—."

"Or what?"

Lenalee was watching now, sensing the danger that was in the air. Thalia was smiling her 'I'm having fun screwing with you' look and the boy looked like he was ready to commit murder. Apparently, Lenalee wasn't the only one sensing danger, because soon, Fou had phased out of her wall and was stalking up to them.

"Hey, kid! What are you doing?" The guardian asked Thalia.

The girl grinned. "Making a new friend."

". . . Your way of making friends is fucked up."

"Actually, now that you're here, Fou-san, I have an idea." The girl turned toward the Exorcist. "I'll give Mugen back if you fight me for it. If you win, you get it back, but if I win, we learn your name. Deal?"

The boy looked at her for a second before finally turning away with a 'tch'.

"I will take that as a 'yes'." Thalia grinned. "Fou-san, will you be the referee?"

Fou sighed. "I guess. The first one to get knocked down loses." She said, throwing each of them a training sword.

"Alright." Thalia said, giving the sword to Lenalee to hold and getting into a fighting stance. The samurai did the same, though without words.

"Begin."

Without warning, the Exorcist lunged forward, preparing to hit Thalia with a horizontal strike. The girl easily rolled and sprang up a few feet away, a wide grin on her face. She was obviously having a blast.

The boy lunged again, this time Thalia parried before attacking in return. She lunged at him, aiming for his side. The Exorcist sidestepped, bringing his foot up to kick the girl in the back. She flew several feet, but she didn't fall, she just slammed her palm against the ground so that she landed on her feet.

As Lenalee stood by Fou, watching as the fight went on, she couldn't help but feel slightly impressed. This Exorcist boy seemed to be really skilled with a sword and quick on his feet. She could tell that he was an experienced fighter. She was even more surprised that Thalia was actually keeping up with him. Training with Fou must have really honed her fighting skills.

To everyone's surprise, the duel lasted just as long as one of Fou's training lessons with Thalia. In the end, Fou had to call it a draw.

Thalia was leaning against her sword for support and the Exorcist was barely capable of keeping his sword up. They were both panting heavily, but were still glaring at each other with determination. They would have gone through the night if Fou hadn't stepped in.

"Ok, you two, that's enough. This was a draw."

"Aw! Come on, Fou-san! I can take him down! Just give us another hour."

". . . No." The deity said, a certain finality to her tone.

Thalia sighed. "Oh well. So sayeth the queen, so sayeth the law." She dropped her weapon onto the ground. Her opponent did so as well, not saying a word.

"Here."

The Exorcist looked toward the voice. Thalia was standing in front of him, with a smile on her face and Mugen in her arms.

"I think you'll need this back."

He just looked at it for a while, eyes narrowed. Finally, he took it with a 'tch,' snatching it back. Despite his rudeness, however, Thalia continued to smile.

"So. Since I gave Mugen back and this battle was a draw, would you mind telling me your name?" He just glared at her, so she added "please?"

He didn't say anything, so Thalia took that as a 'yes but I'm not going to admit it to you' silence.

"Fou-san?"

There was a sigh. "His name's Yu Kanda."

Thalia grinned wider and held a hand out to the Exorcist. "Finally! Nice to meet you, Yu."

The boy cursed loudly. "Don't call me that! It's Kanda!"

The raven just blinked. "Why? Do you not like your first name or something?"

He didn't answer. Instead he just gave her a death glare. And it obviously had no affect.

Thalia smirked. "Well if you don't give me a reason I will just keep calling you 'Yu'."

Suddenly, Kanda was clutching the front of her shirt in a menacing manner. He growled in frustration.

"What are you going to do about it, pretty boy?"

"That's it! I'm killing you now!" He said, picking up the training sword again.

Thalia brandished hers in front of her as well. "Good luck with that, girly!"

They would have continued if Thalia's stomach didn't suddenly rumble. They stood there for a while, Kanda staring, wondering what that sound was, until finally Thalia fell over onto the ground. The boy blinked as Lenalee rushed over to her.

"Thalia!" The Chinese girl said worriedly, kneeling beside her friend.

Fou just sighed before walking over there and picking Thalia up in a fireman's carry. "She just needs food and sleep. She'll be fine." The deity said as she carried the moaning raven off.

"We're not done yet, Yu." Thalia managed to say as she passed the young samurai, but Kanda was too dumfounded to say anything, all he could do was stare after her, thinking that she was the weirdest person he had ever met.

* * *

><p>Over the next few weeks, it was safe to say that Thalia had a lot of fun. She now had a new toy—pardon, 'friend' to play with. She and Kanda sparred whenever Thalia wasn't practicing with Fou or teaching Lenalee. It certainly added to her learning experience as well. Kanda knew more about sword skills and Exorcism than anyone else Thalia had ever met before, so she was able to learn from sparring with him and pestering him about being an Exorcist until he answered her in annoyance just so she would go away or he picked another fight with her (none of which Thalia complained about).<p>

But these things did not last for long, because soon Kanda was given an assignment and Lenalee was scheduled to begin her Exorcist training within the next month. Thalia did have some last minute fun with Kanda though. As he was turning to leave, she suddenly waved very animatedly, and with a loud voice, shouted "Bye-bye, Yu-kun!" to which he cussed at her loudly and practically fled through the door.

On the day Lenalee was scheduled to leave, Thalia was training with Fou while she waited for Lenalee to finish packing and talking to her new master.

Thalia actually found this master interesting. When she had heard about her, she had discovered that this was Kloud Nine, the only female General in the Black Order (only the most powerful Exorcists received the title of 'General'). She was in awe when she learned this, but was even more impressed when she saw her. She was a tall woman wearing a black and gold uniform, similar to Kanda's silver and blue one. It was even more interesting that her Innocence had taken the form of an animal, a monkey that sat atop her shoulder.

Lenalee was very nervous to meet her new master. Apparently Kloud Nine had taken interest when she heard about Lenalee and thought she would be a worthy apprentice. (Thalia had also heard an amusing rumor from Fou that Komui had insisted that Lenalee have a female master and not a male one).

Now, after meeting and talking together, Kloud Nine had decided to indeed take Lenalee on as an apprentice.

Thalia jumped aside as Fou tried to roundhouse kick her, barely dodging the onslaught. Fou didn't go very far before turning around again and sending her fist at the girl. Thalia ducked and attempted to land a kick of her own, but Fou grabbed her foot and threw her into the wall.

"Not bad, kid." Fou said, actually a little impressed. Thalia had improved a lot, to the point where she was able to dodge more and actually attack.

"Don't patronize me!" Thalia shouted as she staggered up.

"You need to learn how to accept compliments, you brat." Fou said crossly as she went in for the attack again. Thalia rolled and came back up behind Fou, attempting to strike her back. Instead, Fou did a sweeping kick and Thalia fell to the ground. She quickly rolled away, attempting to avoid getting kicked in the stomach. As she came to stand, Fou had already leapt through the air and was aiming for her.

And then something odd happened.

As Fou was coming down, ready to dropkick Thalia through the floor, Thalia's eyes were wide, as if she were thinking 'oh, shit. I'm going to die.' But when Fou was about to strike, something flashed in Thalia's eyes. It was only for a second, but it was enough to throw Fou off. In that same moment, Thalia made a calculated dive so that she was right behind the deity when she landed. Then, the girl managed to grab Fou by the arm and, without a hitch, flipped her over.

The guardian landed face first into the ground. It would have severely hurt a normal person, but she was a deity so she was able to look up very quickly. Thalia was looking down at her, a smug smirk on her face.

"One." She declared proudly. All Fou could do was stare, absolutely stunned. Before Fou could say anything, Thalia noticed Lenalee walking into the cave with General Kloud Nine, a group of Asian Branch members following behind them.

"LENA!" Thalia practically screamed as she ran up to her friend. "Lena, guess what! I finally got Fou-san!"

Fou had stood up by now, and was staring after Thalia thoughtfully. _What was that?_

Lenalee blinked in surprise. "You did? That's great! I'm really happy for you!"

The General watched them in amusement. "What's going on here?"

Lenalee looked up at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Master, this is my friend, Thalia."

Thalia's eyes suddenly widened, and she gave the woman an awkward salute. "Hello, sir—I mean, Miss General . . . ma'am! It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." The General said with a nod. "I would love to stay and chat with you, Thalia, but I'm afraid that we must be going."

Thalia slumped. Lenalee was leaving. Her best friend was going away. Lenalee looked sad too as she hugged Thalia tightly.

"Bye, Thalia. I'll miss you."

"Bye, Lena. Good luck with your training." The raven said as they parted.

"Thank you." Lena said. Then she suddenly looked stern. "Now promise me you won't get into any trouble while I'm gone."

Thalia smiled sheepishly. "Hehehe. Well . . ."

"_Thalia." _Lenalee said in a warning tone.

"I'll try, Lenalee!"

"Thalia!"

"Ok, time for you to go now!" Thalia said quickly, ushering Lenalee toward the large wall with the markings. Lenalee didn't look particularly happy as she was pushed along, but she didn't look shocked either.

The General nodded. "Fou."

"Sure thing." Fou said as she made her way toward the wall. Everyone followed her in order to see the General and the new Exorcist in training off.

"Thalia, I mean it. Don't get into too much trouble." Lenalee warned, but her friend just smiled and waved, feigning innocence.

"Are you ready to go, Lenalee?" Kloud Nine asked her.

"Yes ma'am." Lenalee smiled politely.

Her master nodded. "Then we should be off, your training needs to start as soon as possible."

Thalia's attention was caught by the front of the General's coat moving. It wasn't her Innocence because her monkey was clearly sitting on her shoulder. The General noticed it too, and looked down just as something flew out.

Thalia stared at the strange thing as it sped through the air, circling high above them in a wide arch before descending. It seemed drawn to Thalia as it sped toward her in a straight line. When it neared her, it slowed down and stopped in front of her face. The raven's eyes were wide as she watched it. Without thinking, she held her hands out and the orb came to rest in her palms, not touching them, but floating just above her skin. She studied it carefully. It looked like a small orb of green light inside of two cog-like attachments that intersected each other.

Thalia had never seen any before, but she just _knew _what she was holding in her hand.

Innocence.

**A/N: Yo. So someone asked me if Thalia was a parasitic-type . . . for now, i will leave that up to your imagination :)**

**Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5: Accommodator

**Chapter 5: Accommodator**

Everyone stood, tense, in Thalia's room, no one knowing what to say to the little girl sitting on her bed. It was a little cramped in there as well. Fou stood, leaning against the wall, Lenalee right next to her, the Chinese girl looked pale as she stared at her friend. Kloud Nine was standing next to her new apprentice, eyeing the new accommodator closely. Ling was there too, standing awkwardly on the other side of Fou.

But Thalia wasn't paying attention to any of them, she was too busy staring at the Innocence in her palms. She hadn't been able to take her eyes off it since it had zoomed toward her in the cave. She felt . . . drawn to it somehow.

Finally, Fou spoke. She was quiet, but everyone could hear her clearly.

"Thalia."

"Yeah?"

". . . Are you ready for what happens now?"

For the first time in an hour, Thalia looked up. "What?"

"You're an accommodator, and the Order is in real need of Exorcists. You know what that means don't you?"

". . . I become an Exorcist."

"It's not that simple, child." Kloud Nine said. "First, the Order will need to turn your Innocence into a usable form, and the process is not always pleasant."

"I know that!" Thalia insisted. "But I can handle it." They all stared at her as she continued. "Ever since I came to the Asian Branch, I've always dreamed of being an Exorcist. I want to be someone important. And now that I know that I can, nothing can stop me."

"You can't turn back."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

". . . Then you will make a fine Exorcist, Thalia."

The girl was stunned. "You think so."

Kloud Nine nodded. "Yes, and I would love to take you on as an apprentice as well, but forming your Anti-Akuma weapon will take time, and I must use that time to train Lenalee."

Thalia nodded. "I understand. It's important that the Order have as many Exorcists as possible."

Without warning, Thalia was tackled around the middle by a sobbing Lenalee.

"L-Lena? What—?"

"Don't say that like it's so easy! Th-They'll hurt you Thalia!"

The raven awkwardly hugged her friend back. "I know, but I'm prepared for that. You know me. I'll get through it."

"I . . . I want to st-stay with you."

Thalia shook her head. "No. You should go start your training." Lenalee looked up at her, tears streaming down her face. "I mean it, I'll be fine. And just think, the next time we meet, we'll be Exorcists."

". . . You promise, right? We'll meet again?"

"Of course. Why would I lie to you?"

They exchanged a smile before Lenalee hugged her again.

Ling suddenly stepped forward. "I'm supposed to take you in. Are you ready?"

Thalia released Lenalee and looked at the scientist. Her expression was all the answer he needed. He just nodded and opened the door. The raven hopped off the bed and looked at Lenalee. "We'll see each other again soon, ok?" Lenalee smiled through her tears as she waved good-bye to her best friend. As Thalia walked through the door, Ling looked down at her, a worried expression on his face. The girl just smiled at him before walking down the hallway.

* * *

><p>Everything was dark, yet blinding at the same time. Shapes were difficult to discern from the dark mass of the outer world. Realty, space, time, convulsed sporadically, no longer making any sense whatsoever. Even the sense of self was clouded in the mind of one raven-haired child.<p>

Thalia writhed in agony, screams ripping from her throat with every new wave of pain she experienced. This was like nothing she had ever felt before, sure she had been through her share of pain before coming to the Order, but this was far worse.

Red darkness clouded her vision, she could just barely make out Leverrier standing in front of her, a sickening grin plastered to his face. Thalia's hatred for him blazed in that moment. If this was how he had 'experimented' on Lenalee, then he truly was sick.

Another wave of fire shot through Thalia's veins and she let out an ear-splitting scream. It felt like her body was being ripped from the inside out.

Leverrier slowly took out an orb of green light, her Innocence, as if relishing the moment, before thrusting it into her chest. At first, everything became still, the atmosphere turned quiet and the pain in Thalia's body ceased. Her body became still and limp.

Then, a lot of things happened at once. Thalia's pain returned ten—fold. She began to seize, writhing around on the ground like some injured snake. She spat up blood as numerous lacerations appeared on her body, immediately healing themselves before more took their place. Glass shattered, equipment flew through the air and crashed into the wall, people were clutching their heads in pain as a bright green light flashed from the girl's body . . .

And then everything went black.

* * *

><p>Breathing. That's all Thalia could focus on as she laid there. In and out. In and out. It felt like she was trying to breathe through honey, the air was just refusing to enter her lungs. Her body ached all over, sharp pains shot through her every time she attempted to move. How much more could her body handle this? How much longer could she endure?<p>

After a while of staring around, barely able to keep her eyes open, a figure beside Thalia's bed caught her attention. Next to the IV, she could just see a young boy with long, dark hair looking back at her.

It was Kanda. She didn't know if he was really there or not, but she spoke to him anyway.

"Yu." She said, her voice cracking. "Yu, I . . . I don't know if I can do it. I don't think I can do this anymore . . . I think I'm going to die."

Kanda just stared at her for a long moment, as if searching for something in her face, in her eyes. Suddenly he grabbed her hand, an angry determination filling his expression.

"You've always said that you wanted to become an Exorcist, right? Something like this shouldn't stop you! So just get through it! Get through this and _live, DAMMIT!"_

Thalia didn't have a chance to say anything else to him, or see if he had anything else to tell her, because she blacked out again.

* * *

><p><em>You need to accept it.<em>

No . . . No. You're wrong.

_ On the contrary, you've known that I've been right since the day you were born._

* * *

><p>Thalia woke with a gasp, sitting up so quickly that a wave of nausea washed over her and she had to squeeze her eyes shut. After she regained her bearings, Thalia opened her eyes and surveyed the room. It looked like a hospital room, similar to the one she had woken up in the first time she came to the Order. Fou was even sleeping in a chair beside her bed. A smile graced her lips as she watched the guardian deity. As her eyes slid over to the table beside Fou's chair, Thalia froze.<p>

Sitting on a cushion were a pair of silver twin pistols. They looked new and familiar, seeming to shine in the dim lighting. Intricate designs adorned the sides and handles, resembling a flowering vine of some sort. The handles were inlaid with black leather, marking the place where the holder's palm should grip.

Thalia picked one up, gently, reverently, and held it in her hands. The metal felt pleasantly cool and smooth as she ran her fingers along it. Hesitantly, she griped the handle in her left hand. It felt like the gun belonged there.

"So, you're awake now, huh kid?"

Thalia looked up. "Fou-san."

The guardian looked at her lazily from her chair. "How're you feeling?"

The girl shrugged. She felt fine, though her body felt slightly weaker than usual, but that was to be expected. Then she looked back down at the gun. "So is this it?"

Fou nodded.

" . . . So this is my Innocence." The girl marveled, unable to remove her eyes from the weapon in her hand. Fou just watched her as her eyes moved along the metal. " . . . You know. I don't think that people are supposed to give guns to little kids."

The deity snorted, mostly out of amusement and relief. She had been worried that Thalia wouldn't have been the same after what she just went through. "We didn't really have a choice, kid." Fou said in response. "Are you ready to try out your new toys?"

Thalia's eyes widened and she brightened up considerably. "Hell, yeah!"

"Alright then." Fou began to walk towards the door, beckoning the little girl to follow her.

Thalia slid off the bed to stand up and almost fell over as she did so. Her legs felt weaker than she remembered and that shocked her a little.

"That won't last long." The deity said as she noticed. "You just need to build up your muscles again."'

Thalia gave a small nod before grabbing her other pistol and following her friend out the door. It took them a little longer than usual to get to Fou's cave, but that was mostly because Thalia had to walk at a slow pace or else she would lose her breath. When they finally reached their destination, Fou took out a glass and set it on a rock a dozen meters from where Thalia stood.

"Shoot it." Fou instructed.

The girl nodded before holding one pistol in both hands and aiming. Her arms shook slightly from lack of use, but she was able to pull the trigger before she had to put her arms down again. She didn't hit her mark, but both she and Fou saw when a small projectile shot out of the gun and ricocheted off the rock.

"Whoa." Thalia awed.

"Eh. I've seen better." Fou said dully.

"Shut up!" The girl said moodily. Fou just gave her usual 'tch' and turned way. Thalia 'hmph-ed' before training her eyes back on her target.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Fou said, taking the gun away. "Not so fast!"

"What? Why?" Thalia asked.

She received a smack upside the head. "Because activating your Innocence uses up energy you idiot!" The raven complained loudly, rubbing her head as Fou continued. "You better not use that again until you build your strength back up."

"Aw." Thalia groaned. "But my babies are so shiny."

". . . Maybe we really _shouldn't _have given you your Anti-Akuma weapon just yet."

The raven suddenly held the pistols to her chest possessively. "No, they're mine!"

"Ok . . ."

Thalia just glared at her, as if she were some feral animal, before she was thrown a wooden sword.

"If you want to be able to use your Innocence again, you need to train more." Fou said, taking a stance. "Let's see how long you last now."

By the end of the sparring session, Thalia was knocked down a total of 3,561 times. That was a lot considering she only had enough energy to fight for three hours. She was too tired to even stand as she laid there on the rocky floor.

"I think that's enough for today." Fou said. "You should go get something to eat and then get some sleep."

"Good idea." Thalia panted. It took her a minute, but she was able to roll onto her side and sit up. With a groan, she got to her feet and trudged to the mess hall. She was feeling worn out, and numb in the muscles, knowing that she was going to feel sore in the morning, but she also felt determined at the same time. It was a little discouraging to know that receiving her Anti-Akuma weapon had weakened her physically, but now that she had it, she wanted to learn how to use it as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Kenji-san." Thalia said, going up to the counter to order her food.

The chef wasn't at the window when she got there, but when he heard her voice, he rushed over to it in surprise.

"Thalia! You're ok! When did they let you go?"

"A few hours ago."

"Well what were you doing since then? Wait, don't tell me you were training this whole time."

The girl gave him a tired smile. "You know me."

Kenji sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Feed me?"

The chef laughed. "Right. What will you have?"

Thalia hummed pensively. "I'll have . . . shrimp fried rice, fried chicken, a plate of rice pilaf, some miso soup, five orders of tuna rolls, chicken Lo Mein, three pounds of crab legs, a large bowl of Kare Kare aaaaaannndd . . . an apple pie for dessert."

"Coming right up!" Kenji said cheerily, glad that her appetite hadn't changed. Not long after, he handed Thalia several trays of food. Just as she was about to go, her stopped her and handed her an extra teacup on a saucer.

"What's this?" She asked.

"Something extra I thought you would like. Go ahead. Try it."

"Hm." Thalia eyed it carefully before slowly putting the cup to her lips. Her eyes went wide at the flavor. "It's spearmint-flavored tea!" Kenji laughed at the girl's sudden exclamation. "Can I have a whole pot of this stuff?"

"No problem."

After finally receiving everything that she wanted, Thalia looked around the cafeteria, hunting for an empty seat. She noticed that there were many as she looked around (it shouldn't have been surprising though, it was nighttime). Thalia was just considering taking the nearest empty chair when a certain long-haired samurai sitting in the back corner caught her attention. She blinked several times before a smile appeared on her face and she practically skipped over to the table. With a cheery air about her, Thalia set her trays down opposite the young Exorcist.

With his chopsticks halfway between his food and his mouth, Kanda glanced up at the girl. When he saw her smiling face, he averted his gaze and looked back down at his soba.

"Good afternoon, Yu! How are you today?" Thalia asked.

Kanda said nothing.

"Well I'm doing great, thanks for asking. I successfully formed my Anti-Akuma weapon. See?" She asked, holding out one of her pistols so Kanda could see.

The samurai glanced up at them. "Unimpressive." He stated blandly before going back to his meal.

"Hmph." The girl hummed moodily. It was quiet between them for a moment as Kanda ate his noodles and Thalia began to work at her mountain of food.

"So," the raven began again, "I'm pretty sure it took about a month for my Innocence to manifest itself into a weapon. I don't really remember much of what happened, it's all a blur." Thalia eyed Kanda closely as she continued, a knowing smirk on her face. "But I _do _remember someone talking to me." It was hard to tell, but Thalia could see Kanda's shoulders tense a little. "I remember what we talked about too. Do you want to know what this person said to me?"

"I don't care."

"Get through this and _live_, dammit." Thalia quoted, taking a nonchalant sip of tea. "Or something like that anyway. It was the most touching thing I've ever heard." She watched as Kanda focused a little too much on eating his soba. "You actually _do _have a heart. I'm so proud of you, Yu-kun."

"Shut up!" Kanda said loudly. "Sentiment is for the weak-minded."

"[gasp] Then it's _perfect _for you!"

Kanda growled, one foot already on the table and Mugen partially drawn. "I only said that because the Order needs Exorcists and could not afford to have an Accommodator die so easily without even forming their Anti-Akuma weapon! It would have been a disgrace!"

"Disgrace!?" Thalia asked in disbelief. "You try having your insides ripped up and sown together repeatedly! That's how that felt!"

"You were so pathetic laying there on that table dying! I could have formed my weapon in half the time you did without even shedding a single tear!"

After a second, Kanda heard a sniffle come from Thalia, who had her head bowed. "Oh. I see."

Kanda's eyes widened, realizing that he probably went too far. He stared at the raven for a moment, unsure of what to do. Then, he fully sheathed Mugen and sat down, his eyes closed. Without looking at the girl across from him, he muttered "just . . . finish your food already."

"Aw! You do care!"

Kanda looked up sharply to see a grinning Thalia without a single tear on her face.

"You—You damn brat!" Kanda yelled, taking out Mugen and flying at the girl across the table.

Thalia laughed as she ducked under his blade. "Hehe! Yu-kun's a softy!" She yelled for everyone to hear.

"Shut up!"

"Make me, pretty boy!"

"I will cut you in half!"

"Sure you will! Right after you feed some stray kittens."

"Ragh!"

After that, they pretty much destroyed the mess hall.

* * *

><p>For the next several days, Thalia spent a lot of time hanging around Kanda, to the swordsman's annoyance. When she wasn't training with Fou, she was either pestering Kanda or sparring with him. Personally, Kanda preferred the sparring, but there were times when it seemed he could not avoid conversation.<p>

"Yu, where do you come from?"

A vein in Kanda's temple twitched at the use of his name, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he said "why do you care?"

"Well." Thalia began thoughtfully, slightly rocking back and forth on the ground. "I guess I just want to know because you're an Exorcist. I want to know how you became one."

The swordsman glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. The raven was just staring at the ground pensively. Her expression tugged at something in him.

". . . I'm Japanese."

Thalia looked up and blinked. "Really? I thought you were Korean or something."

"What did you just say?!"

The girl grinned. "I'm only joking Yu-kun. I knew you were Japanese."

Kanda growled and looked away from her.

"Aw, come on! We were bonding." Silence. "Ok, ok! I'm sorry I called you Korean . . . so what's it like in Japan? How did you become an Exorcist?"

". . . I don't really know."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never been to Japan, I've lived here most of my life. I never really knew who I was for a while." Kanda answered, though he looked like he didn't really care.

". . . Just like me." Thalia muttered.

"What?"

Thalia jumped, startled. "Uh, I mean . . . Nothing!"

Kanda just raised an eyebrow at her.

". . . That's just like me." Thalia continued with a sigh. "I mean, I was found by the Order and I've lived here ever since . . . I don't really know my name either."

"Then where did 'Thalia' come from?"

The girl shrugged. "Someone I knew gave me that name. I just thought that it would be a nice name to keep." It took her a few seconds to continue speaking. "So how did you get your name: Yu Kanda?"

". . . I always had 'Yu'," the swordsman answered after a moment, "but my master gave me the name 'Kanda' when he took me on as an apprentice."

Thalia thought about that for a moment. "Who was your teacher anyway? I never asked."

"General Froi Teidoll."

"Did you like your master?"

". . . He was an adequate teacher."

Thalia smirked. "You do like him. So that's why you like your name so much!"

Suddenly Mugen was at her throat. "Do not portray me as some sappy—!"

"Ooo! Yu-kun wants to fight!" Thalia cooed.

"Stop calling me that!"

"Fine, pretty boy."

"That's it!" Kanda yelled before lunging at her. Thalia simply grinned as she danced around him, avoiding his sword tip.

"If you want to kill me, you have to catch me~!" She sang gleefully. That just made Kanda angrier and ended up making him sprint after her, Mugen aimed for her throat.

* * *

><p>Thalia aimed her pistol at the glass carefully. It's been almost a month now, and the girl had put the majority of her time and energy into her training. Now was what she felt to be her 'moment of truth.' If she couldn't successfully shoot this glass now, then it would take her an eternity to become an Exorcist.<p>

It wasn't helping that she was being closely watched by two people who had scarily similar personalities. Kanda was over by the wall, feigning meditation as he kept an eye on what the raven was doing. Standing a few feet behind her was Fou, the guardian deity, watching just as closely.

"Don't mess up."

Thalia pulled the trigger and her bullet whizzed past the glass. "Dammit!" Thalia growled. "Come on, Fou-san!"

"Real Exorcists can work under pressure, kid."

"Hmph." Thalia responded moodily before glancing over at Kanda. His expression clearly told her that he heard and agreed with what Fou had said. "No one asked you, pretty boy!" She snapped at him.

"Tch." Kanda said in response, before going back to his 'meditating.'

Thalia placed her focus back on her target and aimed at it. She stood there for a long moment, feeling slightly discouraged by her screw up from a few moments before.

_What if I miss again?_

The raven shook her head, trying to rid her mind of negative thoughts. Thinking about that wouldn't help, focusing would. The girl closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. With renewed determination, she opened her eyes and looked down the barrel of her gun at the glass. She concentrated on it with all her might, wanting to shoot it so badly the thought took up her entire mind. Soon, the cup was the only thing that existed beyond her pistol. It came into sharp focus while everything else in the world seemed to fade away. Barely registering that she gave her fingers the command, Thalia pulled the trigger.

The sound of shattering glass hit her ears as the cup was obliterated, its pieces flying in every direction.

Thalia stared at it for a minute before jumping up, fist in the air. "Hell, yeah!"

"Impressive." Fou said, only seeming mildly so. "You can finally aim straight."

The girl whirled on her. "You know it was more than that! It means that my synchro-rate increased!"

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Fou said, placing her hand on top of Thalia's head and ruffling her hair. "You did well, brat."

Thalia blinked at this show of affection. The feeling of familiarity surprised her.

"Now then." Fou said, stepping away from her charge. "Since you can actually use that Innocence of yours now, I think its time we step up your training a bit."

The girl blinked again. "What? You mean you've been holding back this whole time?!" She heard Kanda snicker as Fou answered.

"Well yeah. Did you forget about these?" With this, Fou's hands morphed into her long, curved blades.

The raven stared at them in shock. She _had _forgotten about them.

_Oh, shit . . . I'm so dead._

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter! I found it amusing that Kanda and Thalia's conversations end in merciless teasing and violence :) I hope you liked this and that Kanda wasn't OOC. i kinda got the feeling he was just a little bit :( Anyway, please review and i will see you next update.**


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